The present invention relates to adjustable shelving systems, and particularly to adjustable shelving systems for use in food equipment. A preferred embodiment of the invention is a reach-in cooler with adjustable shelving.
It is very common to provide a cabinet or other storage compartment with shelves so that multiple levels of storage are provided within the compartment. It is also very common to make the shelves so that they are supported in such a way that their height within the cabinet can be changed to fit the needs of the user, which may change over time. For example, reach-in coolers are often used to store containers for display, or to hold items to be used in a commercial food preparation area. At times the containers or other items to be stored may be taller or shorter than at other times. By making the shelves adjustable in height within the reach-in cooler, the user may adapt the shelf spacing to best serve his or her needs.
There are numerous adjustable shelving systems know in the prior art. Some, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,251,799 to Nave, utilize shelves that have a mechanical adjustment feature, requiring the shelf itself to be mechanically manipulated. Such mechanical manipulation of the shelves themselves is sometimes complicated and time consuming. Others, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,182 to Miller, have the shelf supported on hooks that can fit into one of many holes on brackets inside the cabinet. When a shelf is to be adjusted in height, the shelf is typically removed from the cabinet while the hooks are removed from the brackets and moved to a different elevation. One of the problems with this system is that it is time consuming to move each of the hooks, typically four, independently, and making sure that each of the hooks is at the correct elevation, such as by counting the number of holes the hook is moved, or counting down to which hole the hook is placed. Many other systems, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,903 to Traulsen, require the shelf to be tipped at a steep angle front-to-back or side-to-side during the process of adjusting the height of the shelf.
The adjustable shelf system shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,032 to Cooper has the drawback that it is part of a liner for a specific size cabinet, and cannot be used with other sizes of cabinets without have to remake the entire liner as well.
Thus there is still a need for an improved adjustable shelf system, one which does not require the shelves to be mechanically altered, or tipped side-to-side when moving them from one height to another, and with which height adjustment can be easily and quickly accomplished.